Imaginary Friend
by ArmYourself
Summary: There is no Bella. Just Nicole.
1. Chapter 1

It was a totally ordinary day. But it was the ordinary days Nicole hated. She wanted the days to be extraordinary. Then it used to be that her mother was feeling better, she was happier. But those extraordinary days was, as said, rare. The normal days the mother, Lena, just sat in the couch or in the kitchen with the curtains pulled down and with a cup of coffee or maybe a cigarette. With pale skin, because of all the sun it missed, and bags under the eyes, because of all the troubled sleep they endured. The hair was rarely brushed and usually just in a tail. That's how Nicole used to see her. But in the mornings usually Lena used to lie in bed until late, she did not work, but was prematurely retired.

So when Nicole stepped into the kitchen there sat no emaciated, trembling woman in a kitchen chair, which was nice, because Nicole was not able to bear to look at her so early in the morning. She tiptoed quietly to the fridge and prepared breakfast for herself. Then she made breakfast to her mother, too, and put in the fridge for Lena to eat when she woke up. Everything was done after routine. If it are changed, the weak security would be broken and Nicole didn't dare to do it. As she stood at the kitchen door, she looked sadly over at Lena's bedroom and longed for a long hard hug. But she wouldn't get one. Instead she opened quietly the door, to not scare her mother, and then went out from the apartment.

When she came out of the building she took a deep breath, took away all the barriers in her head and thought happily, "Good morning, slept well?" in her head. She had always done that. She pretended that someone, somewhere in the world, could read minds, and Nicole thought it would be pretty lonely to know what exactly everyone thinks, but no one knew what this person was thinking. So then Nicole talked every day with herself, so if this person heard her thoughts, then it would be like having a conversation with anyone, except that he/she would not be able to respond.

It was quite complicated and a bit wacky, Nicole had once told this to a classmate a few years ago, but her friend had looked at her like she was a ailien, so Nicole had laughed and said that she was only joking. But talking to herself, or, with this person, had gotten Nicole's day easier to bear. When something happened that she did not want to share, she thought to herself that she just put up a big door that protected her thoughts, then she thought no more of the matter when she took off the door.

Then she never talked about special people with her "imaginary friend", because what if that person was the one who heard what she thought? It would not be so fun. She sent again a second thought to this person.

"I myself slept pretty good, but it's a mad dog in the room below me who just barks and barks all the time."

She laughed to herself. She did not care if it was the owner of the dog who could read minds, then he/she to hear it.

"But what good weather we have, right? I really love the spring, then it is rarely too hot and it always smells so fresh! Sure, it rains and all, but I have no problem with it, rain sounds so beautiful when it hits the roof .. I wonder what your favorite season is .. Though, oh, it might not be nice weather where you are? Then you'll forgive but I will enjoy mine. "

Nicole grinned in her thoughts, she loved to talk to her "imaginary friend". Even though it was a little disappointing to never get any response. In school, she had almost no friends. She had withdrawn most people to avoid telling something about herself and her life. Sure it happened that the "friends" talked to her, and Nicole responded always friendly, but she was never engaged in the conversation. After a while, she had been the quiet girl who just was there. Although there had Nicole's imaginary friend become a rescue. It was almost ironic when she thought how surprised her classmates would be if they understood how talkative she was inside her own head.

All the way to school, Nicole was talking happily with her imaginary friend about everything from what she dreamed of what she would do in school today. But she skillfully avoided subjects had with her family and her mother to do. She never talked about that. Not even with her "imaginary friend". As she walked past a bunch of girls who stood and talked and watched a girl who seemed to brag about something, Nicole thought;

"I really hate peoples false facades." Then a thought popped into her head before she could stop it. "And I really hate mine."


	2. Chapter 2

Edward rubbed his temples and tried to ignore all the voices. All these damn voices that disturbed him day in and day out. They attacked him like a tornado of voices, sounds. But he could not use headphones to block out the sounds as they came from inside his head. And it had been like that for some time now. At first he had thought that he was just imagining, because it was so weak. But then the sound grew in strength, and he could hear the words, sentences. The majority wasn't nice. Then he had accidentally reply to a sentence that his mother hadn't said, loudly. Only thought it. Then Edward realized something was really wrong with him. After a reaction he got from a friend, whose thoughts Edward also had answered, he decided not to say anything about what he could do. It had actually been instructive to hear what people thought, even if it was crap in the length. But he could hear when someone was in danger, he had saved a few people by pretending to have gone by. Then he could always stay ahead of anyone who challenged him.

It was pretty fun. What surprised Edward was how weak humans really was. He had seen people who were so incredibly tough when they talked, but in thought they performed as a child and complained about everything. And they were often so afraid of many things. But sometimes wanted Adam to die when he heard some things. He trespassed on everyone's personal life, the only place where people thought they were safe, the only place where they thought they could to say just what they wanted, think about exactly what they wanted, without shame. Therefore, he tried to listen as little as possible on what was said. Although he could not block out the sound.

But it was a voice that he could not shut out nowadays. A voice that sought him, talked to him, although how strange it sounds. It was a girl, he guessed that she was seventeen because she seem to go the same school as he was going to. And every morning, she got him to twitch with a cheerful "Good morning. Slept well?" At first he had thought that she just had thought it to herself, that she was a bit .. crazy. There were many who spoke with theirself. But after some days, her voice became more and more urgent. When he focused on her, he noticed that she actually talked to herself as if she thought that someone actually listened. Which it was, but she didn't know that. It was actually quite fun to listen to her. She talked on about everything she liked. But sometimes got these little silences. When she somehow shut him out.

He does not know how she does it, but when he occasionally tries as he meets some kind of door, which is quite impossible to get through. Once there was even the tags on it. He wondered why .. It happened some time each day, but it always happened right when she stepped inside the doors of her house. Then the door shut, and it didn't open until she came out of the house again the next day and said her cheerful " Good morning". It irritated Adam. He was annoyingly curious how she lived and why she shut him out. That he wanted to know it made him annoyed at himself. Unconsciously, he began to look for the woman in the school.

He caught himself with studying every person he met while he listened to what she said in the thoughts. But the problem was that there were many people at the school, and it could be anyone. The only thing he had to go on was that her name was Nicole. "I really hate peoples false facades." Nicole thought precise and withdrew his attention. "And I really hate mine." Added she incredibly weak. As if it was a thought that just happened to slip out. What did she mean? But she didn't answered, but continued with her train of thought. "I mean, everyone here are pretending to be something they are not. Some pretend to be brave when they are actually quite cowardly, others pretend to like insects when they actually hate them, others say they love to party when they really would rather stay at home the evenings. And then they say that they want you to take them as they really are? How can you do that when they are not showing us their real self?" She sounded frustrated.

She was insightful, he thought impressed. It was true. He had himself heard that. That about people pretending to be some things that they really are not. But it was not as easy as Nicole made it sound. Everyone has a pride that they do not want to crack, therefore they pretend. Some had perhaps been hurt before because they had been a bit scared, so then they started to pretend that they were courageous to not get hurt again. It was a defense mechanism. Edward felt a strange feeling that he wanted to discuss this with Nicole. Open, face to face, not just listen to what she was thinking and then discuss with himself.

He got up from the chair he had been sitting on since he came to school and decided to go out for a little while. He opened the door out to the parking lot without looking up and bumped hard into a woman who just entered. "Oh, damn!" the woman thought at the same time as Nicole and seconds later Edward realized something.

The woman who stood before him, was her, the woman he longed to meet. Nicole.


	3. Chapter 3

She had been late because she had engaged herself embarrassingly much in her conversation with "herself" so when she saw that the door opened, she hurried in and bumped hard into the person who opened the door. Quiet she thought, "Oh, damn!". Then she brought up that door she had to conceal her thoughts, and loud she said, "Sorry I'm late, so I forgot to watch me," with an apologetic voice, peering on the one she encountered with and was about to swallow the tongue directly.

He was really handsome. Almost too handsome to be human , but he shone in any way an aura that attracted even glance. He was the head character in a movie that you just had to love. He had dazzling white skin and a hair that any girl would kill for. His eyes were deep topaz-colored and had a glow that defied one to make him angry. He was tall and anyone could see that he trained, maybe several times a week, even though he was very skinny. Nicole had seen him several times at school, that is, who hadn't? She even knew his name was Edward Cullen and that he went to third grade.

But she had never been this close to him. When she looked up at him, he stood and smiled a wry smile and said, "It does not matter, it just was not your fault, I should have watched my steps. " Nicole got quite weak in her knees, and she could feel the blood rising to her face, even though she rarely actually blushed.

While she tried to think of an answer, she saw that he looked curious and amused at her. Then she remembered that she was late, did a quick grimace to Edward and said, "I'm sorry, but I must hurry before I get to stand outside the classroom because I'm late." and hurried on into the school while she swore that she had not had more time to talk to Edward. As she didn't looked back, didn't see that Edward bent down to pick up something from the ground.

Even though she ran, she sadly enough got to stand outside the classroom for a while until the teacher finished talking with the class, then he let her come in so that he could scold her in front of everyone. Nicole received treatment with cold calm, even though she really wanted to break the nose of the annoying teacher. In order to achieve this callous state as she called it, she needed only to think of her mother at home.

Then she felt a sadness so deep, that she instinctively turned off the emotions to not let them take over. As always when she thought of her family affair she blocked the way to her thoughts with a sturdy door. When she finally got to sit in her place at the back, she pushed away all thoughts of the mother and slowly opened the door again.

"You distract me some times." she said and forced a laugh in the thought. "'But I'll blame myself, right?" then she added ironically. "Sigh, you know, it would be fun friends would be almost nice sometimes," she thought gloomily, then she might not talk through the day with the one she had in her head. When she thought about it she suddenly felt an indescribable feeling. It was almost as if someone asked her, "What do you mean?" but within her.

She was so surprised that she looked up to check if anyone was looking at her, but everyone focused on the task the teacher has given them. Doubtful she bowed her head down on the book again. "If .. If you wonder why .. So I do not have very many friends in the class, I'm pretty much of a loner." She did not know whyshe explained, but it felt right. Could it really be someone who read thoughts? Nicole knocked away the idea, it was a complex matter for which she would probably never get the answers.

The lesson was slow and Nicole sighed relieved when it was over. When she came out of the hall, she saw in the corner of her eye that Edward was standing some distance from her, and her heart began to beat a little faster. She hurried on to her locker and hid behind the door. As she slowly looked up, he was not long in which she had seen him. So she drew a breath of both relief and disappointment. She closed the locker door, turned and gasped frightened .

Fully automatically the door closed again in her thoughts. Edward sat behind her at a table and smiled obliquely against her. "Hello again. I manage somehow to always scare you." He joked. Nicole did not know what to do or why he even talked to her. She had just thought that it might be nice with friends, but her life could not get any easier from it. So how much she regretted it and how much she would like to babble on about everything she thought about with him, she rejected him.

"Yes, you'll probably stop with it." She answered him with a toneless voice. She saw that he was confused by her sudden shift in mood, but it was better that way, she told herself and stopped the excuse that wanted to pop out. "Bad day?" He asked and looked closer at her, causing her to force herself not to start squirming. She did not answer, but just looked quietly at him. Adam shrugged and put his hand in his pocket.

"You dropped this when we ran into each other this morning." He said, holding out his hand. In it lay a necklace. It was a silver chain and pendant was a red jewel shaped like a water drop. "My necklace!" Nicole Burst out and felt in her pocket. She had not even noticed it was gone! When she realized how rude she was, she blushed and looked at Edward. "Thank you very much, it was my grandmother's and I really do not want to lose it!" She said and smiled apologetically at him and took the necklace and was about to put it in her pocket again when Edward stopped her. "Why do you put it in your pocket?" He asked in surprise.

"I'm afraid that some bastard steals it if he/she sees it .. it's quite valuable. Actually, I ought not to have it at all, but it means a lot to me. My grandmother meant a lot to me before she died." She had been the only safe in Nicole's life, the only place to escape to. When her grandmother died, the nightmare took over her life .. Edward seemed to see that he had hit a sore spot, but he smiled and took the necklace from Nicole's hand. "If she meant so much to you, I think you should have it on you. I don't think your grandmother would want such a nice necklace to be in a dark pocket all day. Here, I'll help you." he said, turning her around.

He's hand were soft against her neck which made Nicole's heart hammering against her chest. She had to calm down. She could not be influenced like this by anyone! She closed her eyes and imagined her mother's pale and frightened face inside the retina. When she felt sorrow come surging like a dark tide, she turned her feelings and became an empty shell. Without emotions. She turned to Edward again.

"Thank you, but now I have to go." She said, without really looking at him. She took her books and went past him like in a trance.


	4. Chapter 4

Edward scratched himself frustrated in the hair while he looked after Nicole's back plate. Did he say something wrong? At first she had been disappointed that she did not see him, but also a little relieved, but that did Edward ignore. Then the door showed again, when she was surprised by his appearance so then he had to guess what she was thinking.

She had seemed completely .. Unengaged. As if she was trying to reject him. Then she had been glad to get her necklace back, then embarrassed, which was a bit amusing in Edwards eyes. Then suddenly she seemed completely empty, gone. As if the soul had escaped from the body. He had been very eager to talk face to face with her, for a change, especially after the last lesson.

He had listened more to her than his teacher and been surprised when she said she wanted to have friends. Who didn't love this beautiful woman? But the surprise when she had explained what she meant as if she had known his surprise was even bigger. That was one reason why he had looked after her.

But also because he wanted to know WHO she was. How she was. The question had now been answered. She was a mystery. A riddle. With a temper and as unpredictable as a young cat. Now he heard in his head how she once again began to talk to "him."

"Oh math. . If you're really out there, maybe you can help me a little? I really suck at it! You can well .. I do not know, give your compassionate when I do it right and, well, do something else when I do wrong? "

She laughed at her own muddiness, but Edward just thought it was strange how she could sound so cheerful in mind when she was completely empty just now. He shook his muddled head at her gift to hide his feelings while he was a little disappointed because he wanted to know how she really felt.

When he looked at the clock and saw that he was late, he hurried to his classroom, but mostly listened to what Nicole said, although several other thoughts pressed on. When he sat in his seat in geography, she had started her math and sat and held on with an equation that would not work out.

"Why the hell are we supposed to know this stuff? It is so damn useless, I won't be doing equations when I start working! Ooh, I hate this! Equations sucks! "

It sounded so funny that Edward began to laugh quietly, but stopped when he saw that his desk mate looked weird at him.

"He must be nuts."

The thought appeared in Edwards head, but he ignored it. He thought he wanted to hear more of Nicole's feelings. He wanted to hear her when she was angry, sad, confused, annoyed. But above all, he wanted to hear her when she was happy. When she laughed. But not in her mind, but for "real".

He had heard her express various emotions, in thought, especially when she read. When she had a good book, she lived into it so much that it was delightful to listen to her as she read. He himself had almost stopped reading because it was no longer the same thing. So he only listened to her and the stories she picked out.

Once she had read a really sad book about a little girl who has been sent away by her poor mother to another better family in Germany. There she lived when the war began, and at the end she had lost her entire family there, by a bomb, the girl was the only survivor in the house. Just because she sat in the basement. Then Nicole had been so upset that she cried rivers.

She had been sitting in a room in the school where some rarely came. Her feelings had rubbed off on him so that he felt quite distressed. He had been very close to tears. But he on the other hand sat in a lesson and had stopped himself. He hated it when she was really sad.

Like that time when they had bumbed into each other in the door and she had run onto the lesson he had listened more closely to her, if she would say something about him, but as usual, she had not said a word about him.

She never thought anything special about other people. It was also somewhat surprising, since everyone else was thinking things about others. But not her. At least not without a "closed door." This time the door had come up when the teacher began to yell at her. But when he had tried to listen very carefully had a feeling of sadness came over him and he knew that it came from her, through that door. It made him flinch in surprise. Why was she so sad? What had happened? He wanted to run to her and give her a hug, take away the pain.

But he held out until she had sat down and opened the door again. But then everything was back to normal. She was once the happy Nicole.

Then, right there, in that geography lesson, he decided. He would get her to open up. Not for her imaginary friend, but for him, in person. When he decided that he nodded slightly and returned to the paper they would write in his geography class.


End file.
